EVENT COVERAGE

Event 12

While the days leading up to the FPO Championship are always relatively light, in terms of number of events per day, they usually boast some of the bigger buy-in events. That’s to accommodate the bigger name players that come to the Borgata for those series ending events and also to allow a slew of live qualifiers to run. Those qualifiers will officially start tomorrow and run through the weekend but the first big buy-in event of the weekend will begin this morning at 11AM.

That is the Event 14 $1,000 ‘Six Max NLH’, which can be considered the FPO Pro Bowl, with a few other named events coming back at 12 PM to crown champions. The $300,000 GTD ‘Almighty Stack’ event will come back with 17 players remaining and the $100,000 GTD ‘Super Stack Elevator’ will come back with two full tables.

There are plenty of big name players still alive in both events, including reigning WPT World Champion Asher Conniff, who comes back for Day 2 of the ‘Almighty’ with just ten big blinds. Bracelet winner Mike Leah comes back second in chips for Day 2 of the ‘Elevator’, with former Main Event champion Greg Raymer and seven-time Borgata Poker trophy winner Will ‘The Thrill’ Failla also looks to make his first FPO final table.

Safe to say, both restart is stacked, with a complete preview of both coming shortly.

There might only be a handful of events running in the Signature Room today but with two FPO titles up for grabs and the start of one of the most star studded events of the series, today is certainly going to be an entertaining one. The FPO blog will pick up coverage of all the action as soon as cards get in the air for the $1,000 ‘Six Max NLH’ event at 11 AM.

Earlier in our Event 12 HORSE final table coverage, we mentioned how Mike Bees’ best and favorite game of the five-game mix was Omaha H/L 8 or Better. That was clear but what wasn’t, was what game Mohamed “Buff” Ali preferred or thought himself best at and at a final table with a mix variation, being so good, dare we say, so dominant in all the games that the reporter, floor person and, most importantly, your opponents don’t know which one to attack you in, is a huge advantage.

That wasn’t the only advantage that “Buff” had today, as he returned for this Day 2 session atop the Event 12 leaderboard and when it was all said and done, he turned that advantage into a Fall Poker Open victory. It wasn’t always easy, as nearly everyone at the four-handed final table held the chip lead at some point but in the end, Ali’s performance in a variety of games was the difference.

He scored knockouts in Stud H/L and Omaha H/L 8B and potentially the biggest pot of the tournament was in Stud, which Ali won and used to take control of a chip lead that he eventually never let go. To win a mixed game event, a player has to be well polished in all disciplines and clearly, after a pretty dominating two-day performance, Mohamed “Buff” Ali was.

He’ll take home $10,321 for his victory, while Alexander Filis takes home $5,975 for 2nd and Mike Bees earns $3,259 for 3rd.

With the limits going up, everyone at the Event 12 HORSE final table was short and after a few smaller pots went to Mike Bees and Mohamed Ali, Kevin Marcus found himself as the final table short stack.

Eventually, all his chips went in against Alexander Filis in a Stud H/L hand, with Marcus showing {8h}{Ac}{10s}{5c}.

Filis held {Kc}{3h}{8d}{7h} and when the river and down cards were turned over, Filis held two pair while Marcus bricked out on his low draw and could only muster a pair of eights.

He was eliminated in 4th place and the remaining three players, who are all more or less equally stacked, are now playing for the Event 12 title.

While being proficient in all the HORSE games is a must, players usually have a favorite or one that they are best at. For Mike Bees, that game is Omaha 8B and over the last few hands, it’s showing.

Bees got short through the RSE portion of play but he’s battled back to win two sizable pots in Omaha, with the first coming against Mohamed Ali. That hand was picked up with Bees putting in two bets pre flop and Ali calling in the small blind. Ali check-called the {8d}{6h}{4c} flop and the same betting pattern occurred after the {Kd} came on the turn and the {10h} completed the board.

Bees turned over {Ac}{Jc}{5d}{7h} for a straight and a low, while Ali seemed to misread the board, tabling {5x}{4x}{2c}{2s}. That hand cut down Ali and Bees took a decent chuck from Kevin Marcus’ stack in the very next hand, flopping a set of jacks and getting three streets of value to regain his final table chip lead.

This Event 12 final table is still four-handed and while we’re heading towards the end of the Omaha portion of play, if it gets back to OE, Bees will likely try to put the nail in the coffin during that game.

After quadrupling up in Omaha H/L, Daniel Shapiro got involved in a massive Razz hand with Mike Bees. That hand was picked up with Alexander Filis bringing it in and Bees completing with the {5d} up. Shapiro called with the {3h} and Filis mucked to send the two heads up for forth.

Bees: (x)(x)/{5d}{2s}{Ah}{Kh}/(x)
Shapiro (x)(x)/{3h}{Ac}{Jh}{Ks}/(x)

Gloria LoRusso (Brigantine, NJ)

Bees bet forth and Shapiro called and the same better pattern occurred until the river, where Bees bet and Shapiro went into the tank. He admitted to pairing up on the river and mucked, leaving himself just 10,000 chips. Those chips got in the middle a few hands later against Mohamed Ali, who eliminated Shapiro in 6th place ($1,630) in a hand of Stud.

Gloria LoRusso never even sniffed the chip average during this Day 2 session but she made some valuable pay jumps throughout this final table session. In the end, she couldn’t even get double ups that gave her a comfortable stack and she was eliminated in a hand of Stud, with Mohamed Ali again scoring the knockout.

LoRusso hit the rail in 5th place ($1,901) a few minutes before the end of Level 20 and right before the break, Ali and Mike Bees played a massive hand that moved Ali up to the top of the Event 12 leaderboard.

In Stud, after a bring in, Ali completed with a {7s} up and Kevin Marcus, who was showing a {6c}, put in two bets before Bees, {3c} up, put in three. Ali four bet and Marcus folded, leaving the two heads up to forth. Bees check-called all the way down to the river, only to see Ali turn over a full house, after both players were rolled up. Ali took in the massive pot and he now holds the chip lead four-handed.

A few hands after the bubble burst and Sardor Gaziev quickly hit the rail in 8th place, Justin Chmielarz joined him in 7th place. Chiemlarz was eliminated by Mike Bees in a hand of Hold’em after Bees’ {Ad}{2d} out flopped the short stack’s {Ac}{Ks}.

After that hand, it was multiple stories of survival, as Gloria LoRusso picked up a double in Hold’em and then another in Omaha H/L and then Daniel Shapiro quadrupled up in Omaha H/L, with that hand getting picked up with a Mike Bees pre flop open.

Bees made it two bets and then Shapiro moved all-in for 30,000. Mohamed Ali and Kevin Marcus called in the blinds and then Bees called as well, putting Shapiro at risk in four spots. Ali led the {Qh}{5d}{5s} flop and both Bees and Marcus got out of the way, with Shapiro needing to hit to stay alive as he held {Qs}{4s}{3h}{2c}.

Ali held {Ks}{Qd}{Js}{10h} and after the {4c} fell on the turn, Shapiro was mainly looking for another low card for a chop. He got better, as the {4d} completed the board and gave him four’s full and the whole pot. The rest of the table shook their heads in disbelief as Shapiro and LoRusso have been surviving by the skin of their teeth over the last few levels.

The blinds and antes are set to go up again soon though, meaning we could see their runs come to an end sooner rather than later.

The last level has seen a few changes occur to the Event 12 HORSE leaderboard, as the remaining nine players have been trading chips for the last hour since this final table came together. While some of the shorter stacks have survived, Donald Jacoby could not, as he was eliminated in 9th place in a Stud H/L hand.

Sardor Gaziev (North Brunswick, NJ)

That hand was picked up with Mohamed Ali, holding {2h}{4c}/{Ad}{9h}{8s}{3d}/{8d} and Kevin Marcus {Kd}{Jd}/{Kh}{6d}{9s}{7s}/{Jh} having Jacoby at risk by fifth street and when the cards were tabled, they were chopping up the short stacks chips.

Marcus held two pair for the high and Ali had an ‘eight-four’ low, while Jacoby’s nut low draw, as he held {Ac}{2h}/{4s}{Qc}{Qs}{10d}/{3s}, couldn’t turn into a made hand by the river.

He was eliminated in 9th place, meaning he’ll miss the money and a few hands later, Sardor Gaziev was sent to the rail by Marcus in a Hold’em hand. Gaziev had battled a short stack and doubled up once after Jacoby’s elimination but in the end, his {10c}{10h} couldn’t hold against Marcus’ {Qd}{Jd} on a runout of {Kd}{Kh}{8d}{4d}{5c}.

Gaziev will make $815 for his Event 12 run and it now looks like Kevin Marcus has taken the chip lead at this HORSE final table.

Kevin Marcus enters the Event 12 HORSE final table and money bubble with the second biggest stack.

Defending BPO HORSE champion Frank Rasile was sent to the rail in 10th place after his {7h}{7c} couldn’t hold against Donald Jacoby’s {Kh}{Jh} on a runout of {As}{8d}{2h}{Qc}{10s}. That means that we are not only down to our final table but also that there will be a new champion crowned today.

The final table has redrawn for their new seats and a complete list of those players and their chip counts is provided below:

Mike Bees returned for this Day 2 session second in chips and it looks like he and table mate Mohamed “Buff” Ali are now neck and neck atop the HORSE leaderboard.

The first hour of this Day 2 Event 12 HORSE session has been slow as the players at both tables seem to be trading big bets back and forth. Svetlana Gromenkova has already been dispatched and the only other female player in this field, Gloria LoRusso might not be far behind, as she’s playing just two big bets.

While LoRusso and the other short stacks flounder, Mike Bees and Mohamed ‘Buff’ Ali have been playing some sizable pots. One was picked up in a hand of Stud, with Ali bringing in with the {2s} showing. Bees completed the bet with the {Qd} up and the rest of the table folded before Ali called.

Bees bet forth and Ali alled, before Bees led fifth and saw Ali put in a raise to two bets. Bees called and then both players checked sixth, before Bees bet and Ali called after each got their down cards. Bees then showed a full house, with Ali cursing himself before turning over an inferior two pair. Bees took in the pot and might now be playing the chip lead, as both he and Ali are near the 350,000 chip mark.

Frank Rasile won this HORSE event during the Borgata Poker Open in September and he’ll try to repeat today, coming into Day 2 just over the chip average.

The Event 12 HORSE has just restarted in the back of the Signature Room and while there are a few big name players left in this field, Frank Rasile has to be headlining this field into Day 2. Rasile won this exact event during September’s Borgata Poker Open and while he returns near the middle of the leaderboard, he’ll certainly be a threat to make another run at a repeat BPO title winning performance.

The players, seating assignments and chip counts have all been posted and as a reminder, the Event 12 payouts are provided below: